ACTIVE SUNSPOT: A new sunspot is emerging over the sun's eastern limb. It appears to be relatively large and active. Today, it emitted an M1-class solar flare, breaking a 1-week quiet spell on the sun. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text.
A CRATER NAMED 'SPACEX': There's a new crater on the Moon. SpaceX made it, and NASA has just released the photos. This before-and-after sequence was captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO):
On Aug. 5th, an old Falcon 9 upper stage crashed into the lunar surface near crater Einstein. South Korea's Danuri orbiter saw the crater first and gave the coordinates to LRO for a closer look. It found a gouge 10ft deep and 60ft wide.
The rocket itself was obliterated, but there is debris: Dark streaks around the crater are lunar topsoil, dug up from only 1 or 2 feet below the surface. Eons of exposure to solar wind, cosmic rays, and micrometeorites darkened this material -- a process called "space weathering." The bright rays came from deeper down where the soil is still fresh.
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CAMPO DEL CIELO METEORITE PENDANT: This meteorite came from space. We sent it back again. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon, more than 109,620 feet above the Sierra Nevada near Bishop, CA:
You can have it for $249.95. Encased in a sterling silver cage, this is a genuine iron-nickel Campo del Cielo meteorite from Argentina. It landed on Earth 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, and made the return trip on Aug. 15, 2026. This pendant comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight.
The students are selling space pendants to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
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